VR Training

The NHL Is Getting Its Own VR Hockey Platform

August 8, 2023 From vrscout

Train like a pro while dressed as one.

VR sports training provider, Sense Arena, today announced that it has partnered with the National Hockey League (NHL), to launch NHL Sense Arena, the first-ever interactive NHL VR platform.

First launched back in 2018, the Sense Arena hockey platform immerses you in a variety of virtual challenges and drills designed to test your skills on the ice and help improve your performance. The platform is employed by multiple professional sports organizations like the LA Kings and the New Jersey Devils to train their athletes and can be used virtually anywhere, from the locker room to a hotel room.

NHL Sense Arena is the official successor to the original Sense Arena hockey platform and features the jerseys and logos of all 32 NHL teams, allowing you to train and compete as an NHL player or goalie using your personal hockey stick while supporting your favorite franchise.

“The NHL has some of the most passionate fans in all of sports and we are thrilled to bring them onto the ice to experience what it feels like to train like an NHL player or goalie,” said Sense Arena founder and CEO, Bob Tetiva, in an official release. “This new partnership will allow hockey lovers of all ages to compete against each other in exciting drills while representing their favorite NHL teams.”

Credit: Sense Arena

NHL Sense Arena is scheduled to launch in Fall 2023 for Meta Quest and Quest Pro headsets. The app pairs with your existing hockey equipment, offering a truly immersive training experience that has a genuine impact on your performance. Current Sense Arena hockey subscribers will receive the NHL platform update 100% free of charge.

For more information on pricing visit www.sensearena.com/store/us.

We had the chance to check out the Sense Arena hockey platform a couple of years ago and were impressed by the generous catalog of virtual drills provided. As I trained, the app kept track of various performance metrics, such as my accuracy and speed.

Since that 2021 demo, Sense Arena has been designated the official Virtual Reality Training Tool of USA Hockey.

Feature Image Credit: Sense Arena

How VR Technology Can Help Stop Wildfires

April 5, 2023 From vrscout

Intellic Technologies is just one company using immersive technology to train pilots.

A new partnership sees wildland fire simulation software provider Becker Support Services team up with Anchor Flank & Pinch, a purveyor of ground and aerial firefighting training services, to form a new company, Intellic Technologies, dedicated to providing various organizations with safe and efficient wildland fire training using immersive technology.

The system utilizes the FS3D virtual wildland training hardware and software to immerse pilots in hyper-realistic training scenarios featuring VR and mixed reality technology, photo-realistic imagery, and scientific fire growth modeling.

“We’ve been working together with AFP for several years in the development of our proprietary software, FS3D, and integrating it into training programs for some of the largest wildland firefighting organizations in the country,” said Trevor Maynard, chief technology officer at Intellic Technologies, in an official release. “This merger brings the best of all training options with immersive, virtual, and cost-effective experiences to reduce the risks of one of the most dangerous jobs today.”

Credit: Intellic Technologies, Inc.

“With the growing impact of climate change and increasing threat from wildfires, we’re helping create better-managed wilderness and landscapes using optimal fire management and suppression tools and tactics that help save lives, property, and our natural surroundings,” added Ryan Becker, CEO of Intellic Technologies. “We’re creating training services and software with the latest knowledge and strategies to provide the most effective aerial and ground training possible.”

According to Intellic Technologies, the FS3D wildland fire training simulator is designed for aerial and ground support companies, government agencies, and U.S. ally wildfire organizations.

For more information on the FS3D system and Intellic Technologies visit intellictechnologies.com/fs3d.

Feature Image Credit: Intellic Technologies, Inc.

VR Full-Motion Helicopter Flight Simulators Have Arrived

April 4, 2023 From vrscout

Can immersive technology help address the rising global pilot shortage?

Loft Dynamics, previously referred to as VRM Switzerland, has unveiled what the company claims is the “world’s first” VR full-motion helicopter flight simulator qualified for use by an official national aviation regulator. Put simply, this device can be used as a legitimate tool for pilot training while reducing training costs and improving pilot safety.

The full-motion rig features a high-resolution VR system and full-scale replica cockpit mounted on a 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) motion platform. In the headset, trainees see panoramic views of various locations and hear authentic sound emitting from their virtual aircraft. Meanwhile, the motion rig delivers realistic force feedback and motion.

Credit: Loft Dynamics

According to the company, the entire package is 10x smaller than conventional full-motion simulators and roughly 20x cheaper to own and operate. Despite being able to fit comfortably in the loft of a hangar (hence the name Loft Dynamics), the system can supposedly cut air time training by a whopping 60%.

“It’s hard to overstate how monumental this is for aviation,” said Sky Dayton, Loft Dynamics’ main investor and board member, in an official release. “You don’t have to travel to train anymore, away from work and family and be gone for weeks or months. These new simulators will be integrated into all bases of operation, and pilots will be able to train all the time — not just for required regulatory checks, but to regularly hone and add to their skills.”

Dayton, a jet pilot, elaborated on his time in the Loft Dynamics simulator, claiming he could feel the texture of the asphalt beneath the virtual helicopter as he landed. The full-motion rig moved in sync with the virtual aircraft, simulating the feeling of flying through the air at high speeds. According to Dayton, he was able to practice emergency manuevers that can be dangerous to perform in a real helicopter.

With a global pilot shortage expected to continue through the next decade, this cost-effective flight simulator could be invaluable moving forward. In addition to its rebrand to Loft Dynamics, the company has raised an impressive $20 million in additional financing from Craft Ventures, Sky Dayton and UP.Partners.

“Our rebranding is critical to reflect the current global nature of our steady growth,” added Loft Dynamics CEO and founder Fabi Riesen. “We chose the word ‘loft’ carefully as it reflects an upward movement in the air, but it also refers to the fact that our full-motion VR simulator is so small that it can fit in the loft of a hangar or other small spaces, such as a trailer. Our growing team is proud of the new name and to be expanding the training of pilots with our highly efficient, exceptionally realistic, and dramatically less expensive simulator.”

Moving forward, Loft Dynamics is working with Airbus Helicopters to develop a simulator for the Airbus H145, a model of helicopter often used in emergency medical services. The company will also be expanding its portfolio to include fixed-wing sumlators in an attempt to target the eVTOL market.

For more information visit here.

Feature Image Credit: Loft Dynamics

VR & Robotics Could Be The Future Of Medical Training

March 30, 2023 From vrscout

FundamentalVR is partnering with Haply Robotics to provide more realistic VR surgical simulations.

In the past, we’ve seen how immersive technologies such as VR and augmented reality (AR) can benefit the medical industry, from AR-assisted surgeries to VR sedation.

Then there’s Fundamental Surgery, an immersive training platform from FundamentalVR that uses VR technology and haptics to provide everyone from medical students to professional surgeons with realistic simulations of various real-life procedures. The platform includes a number of other educational features, like multiuser classrooms with instructor-lead lessons.

We had a chance to try the platform out for ourselves and were thoroughly impressed by the technology presented.

Image Credit: FundamentalVR

Now the company is partnering with the award-winning haptics & robotics company Haply Robotics to provide more realistic simulations using Haply’s portable haptic technology, including its flagship Inverse3 device. According to FundamentalVR, the platform provides effective surgical training cheaply and remotely by mimicking physical touch. This partnership will only improve the platform further by introducing more advanced haptic technology.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to expand and improve our SaaS platform Fundamental Surgery,” said Richard Vincent, co-founder and CEO of FundamentalVR in an official release.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Haply Robotics – a leader in kinesthetic grounded haptics – and continue to support our medical device and pharmaceutical partners’ educational programs to allow better product adoption by advancing our strategy for a hardware agnostic open platform and its skills transfer capabilities,” he added.

“We’re excited to support FundamentalVR’s rapidly growing business strategy by providing an integral component of a complete high-fidelity simulation solution,” added Colin Gallacher, President and Co-Founder of Haply Robotics. “Haply’s haptic devices will enhance FundamentalVR’s developed virtual environment and medical training scenarios through force feedback and sense of touch.”

For more information about FundamentalVR and Haply Robotics visit here.

Feature Image Credit: FundamentalVR

How VR Is Being Used To Prepare For Mass Casualty Events

March 6, 2023 From vrscout

Immersive technology is for more than just gaming.

Researchers based out of the Ohio State University College of Medicine have created a disaster response training program that uses VR technology to prepare first responders for various mass casualty emergencies, according to an official release.

Developed in collaboration with the Ohio State University Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, the program immerses users in an underground subway complex after a bomb detonation has resulted in a number of severe casualties. Trainers can customize the program to change the number of victims and the injuries they’ve sustained as well as various environmental factors, such as smoke and noise, to provide a more challenging experience.

According to the research team, the program can effectively train a first responder SALT (sort, assess, life-saving interventions, treatment and/or transport) Triage, a standardized triage method developed in collaboration with the CDC. After completing the training program, users are immediately provided with a real-time assessment detailing their overall performance.

“It’s very important for first responders, law enforcement, and physicians to be able to go into a scene, do hemorrhage control, and triage victims to determine who needs medical care first,” said Dr. Nicholas Kman, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State College of Medicine, in an official release. “Our high-fidelity program is designed to look very realistic, and once you put that headset on you are immersed into a scenario where you can move around, interact with victims, and make life-saving decisions.”

“Our virtual reality platform allows us to make an unlimited number of scenarios with an unlimited number of victims,” he added. “We can run learners through as many as times as it takes for them to get good at this process.”

Credit: Ohio State University College of Medicine

“We want to train our EMS clinicians to function at an optimal level in high-risk and high-stress environments,” said Dr. Ashish Panchal, professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State College of Medicine and medical director of Delaware County EMS. “Virtual reality gives us a safe way to optimize training so our professionals are prepared and can confront these challenges the best they possibly can.”

For more information check out the full press release here.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen immersive technology used for emergency services training. Back in 2020 we talked about police officers in one department having begun using VR technology as part of their de-escalation training. Another company has developed a VR training program designed to teach proper COVID-19 preparedness and prevention.

Feature Image Credit: Ohio State University College of Medicine

VR Training Company Gemba Secures $18M Series A to Expand Enterprise Metaverse

January 26, 2023 From roadtovr

Gemba, the corporate VR learning platform, announced it’s closed an $18 million Series A funding round, which the company says will be used to continue expansion into Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America.

The latest funding round was led by Parkway Venture Capital, now valuing the UK-based company at $60 million.

In 2017, Gemba grew out of executive training company The Leadership Network, which was founded in 2013 by CEO Nathan Robinson and Chairman Victor Lewis. At the time, The Leadership Network was focused on cross-industry leadership training which, through its executive masterclasses, let senior execs from non-competing companies go hands-on at the state-of-the-art facilities of global giants like Toyota, Tesla, Google, BMW and Amazon.

Now the company is all-in with VR training platform Gemba, which also still holds masterclasses, albeit in virtual reality. The platform also focuses on immersive skill transfer, including things like on-the-job VR skill training, simulated factory walks, and live training events in VR.

Gemba has since worked with 4,000 executives from more than 675 companies, including Philips, Pfizer, Nike and Dell.

Its most recent success story involves Aptiv, a leading automotive supplier. Gemba says its VR training enabled Aptiv to increase skill transfer efficiency by 80% when compared to real-world training programs. In the first year of working with Aptiv, the company also saved $2 million on travel expenses alone.

“As an educator, we know that 90% of learning is about engagement,” says Frankie Cavanagh, Gemba’s Chief Technology Officer. “Gemba allows users to learn and train in a whole new way. With higher engagement levels than traditional teaching and the combination of unprecedented levels of realism and a customized learning experience, it’s a revolutionary teaching tool.”

Gemba says its Series A will accelerate the development of the platform, enabling people and companies to access Gemba on a subscription basis. It’s also set to expand its offering of immersive training simulations, tools and learning experiences, all of which are accessible via online app stores.

U.S. Space Force Turns To VR For Medical Training

January 13, 2023 From vrscout

The program will run on the HTC VIVE Focus 3 VR headset.

VR medical simulation platform SimX today announced that its Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program has been selected by the United States Space Force to design an immersive training program for astronaut recovery and space launch missions.

The US government agency will commit an initial $1.7 million USD towards the integration of various space components and medical scenarios based on the Pre-Hospital Space Medicine Care Course (PHSMCC) into the SimX Virtual Reality Medical Simulation System (VRMSS). This includes ocean personnel recovery missions, such as the one depicted in the image below.

Credit: U.S. Airforce, Airman 1st Class Dwane Young, Nellis AFB

“The mission of the VALOR program is to adapt VR medical simulation training to enable high-quality, repeatable, and accessible clinical training for any scenario,” said Karthik V Sarma, PhD, VALOR Principal Investigator and SimX CTO in an official release. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to take the VRMSS to the next frontier by helping the DOD’s elite medical personnel protect the health of our astronauts and space launch personnel.”

The virtual training program is being developed in collaboration with and tested alongside the USAF 24th Special Operations Wing and 1st Air Force, Detachment 3, Human Space Flight Support Operations, and will run on the HTC VIVE Focus 3 wireless VR headset. According to SimX, the program will enable more frequent and effective training for Combat Rescue Officers, flight surgeons, and Pararescuemen.

“The mission impact of this project will be increased overall medical capability for global rescue forces responding to Human Space Flight contingency landings,” added Brent Maney of the Department of Defense Human Space Fight Support Office. “These capabilities are critical for ensuring the highest standard of care is provided by our PJs as they prepare for the continued expansion of Human Space Flight operations.”

Moving forward, the company will continue to expand the program with additional scenarios to accommodate the growing commercial space flight sector.

Feature Image Credit: SimX